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Saturday, April 25, 2015

Al Ain Zoo Photography Competition

Al Ain Zoo’s annual
Photography and Videography Competition is back

- The 2015 competition returns with new categories and valuable prizes,
encouraging enthusiasts to take their best shots of wildlife and nature–

Al Ain, United Arab Emirates, 21 April, 2015:Al Ain Zoo’s annual photography and videography
competition has kicked off, challenging young enthusiasts to take their best
shots and videos of Arid Land Wildlife and their zoo experience until the end
of May.

With a focus on capturing behaviour and the
improvements in camera phone technology, anyone can enter the competition without
the need for expensive equipment. Through exciting new categories, budding,
amateur and professional photographers and videographers have the opportunity
to showcase their creativity. Six categories form this year’s main ‘Zoography’
photo competition including ‘At Play’, ‘Snackattack!’, ‘At Rest’, ‘Friendship’,
‘Poser’, and the zoo’s answer to Selfies – ‘Zoofies’!

Commenting on the new additions, Muna Al Dhaheri,
the Chief of Conservation and Education at Al Ain Zoo, said:

“Educating all our visitors, and especially the
younger generation about animals and ensuring that wildlife and nature is a
source of inspiration for them is a core commitment of Al Ain Zoo. This year,
new categories were added to the competition, which gives us a great
opportunity to further communicate our conservation efforts, and reward those
who help us put these efforts in a picture. The launch of the new Photographer
of the Year awards will help further establish Al Ain Zoo’s leading role in the
topic of Arid Land Wildlife, bringing to life the beauty we need to conserve,
and the challenges such life faces in today’s world.”

“The response to last year’s competition was great,
and with the addition of new categories and exciting prizes this year, the
continued and valued support of Grand Stores and Nikon, we are confident that
participants will surprise us with even more creative entries,” she added.

New for 2015, the zoo starts its hunt to find the ‘Arid
Land Wildlife Photographer of the Year’ and ‘Junior Arid Land Wildlife
Photographer of the Year’. The two dedicated awards are open to anyone in
the world and participants are required to submit photos of arid land species either
in the wild, at the zoo, interacting with their natural habitats, or trying to
adapt to the changing world.

The zoo also launched ‘My Day at Al Ain Zoo
Video Competition’, which coincides with the 10th anniversary of
the first ever YouTube video called “My Day at The Zoo” filmed at San Diego
Zoo, one of Al Ain Zoo’s strategic partners. This category invites budding
videographers to film their journey and best moments at the zoo.

A welcome return for 2015 is the sponsorship of
Grand Stores and Nikon Camera’s, donating a range of high-tech camera
equipment, animal photo workshops and participating in the judging panel to
decide the winners. The winning entries will be exhibited in the Sheikh Zayed
Desert Learning Centre, due to open later this year, and also featured in the
zoo’s 2016 calendar. The winners will be announced on 30 September, 2015.

About the Competition
Categories:

At Play -Animals enjoy their lives at Al Ain Zoo and whether
it’s pulling funny faces or pulling pranks on one another, they brighten both
their day and the zoo’s with their antics. Look out for when the zoo adds
‘enrichment’ activities to brighten their day.

Snackattack –Feeding time is most animal’s favourite time of the
day, from a Crocodile’s snappy snacking to Lady the Gorilla foraging out her
favourite seeds.

At Rest – Arid Lands are hot
places and most of our animals are highly acclimatized to the weather. From
digging a shallow hollow to lay in, to a flick of the tail animals take it easy
and rest in the heat of day to keep themselves cool. Being in Al Ain, the green
heart of the UAE, many animals enjoy the shade of the abundant plant life in
the zoo.

Friendship – As we have 4,000
animals, most of our 197 species are not alone. Look out especially for baby
animals making friends or sharing family moments. One of 2014’s winners
celebrated the intimacy of Chimpanzees, and you can spot other more unusual
friendships in the zoo in our mixed animal exhibits – or snap a close encounter
in the children’s petting zoo.

Poser – Humans aren’t the
only ones to strut their stuff. From the birds on display in our bird and
parrot shows, to the prowl of a leopard the zoo has plenty of attention
seekers. From displays of plumage to flexing of muscles, in the animal kingdom
survival of the fittest is often survival of the most fabulous.

Selfie – We all know you
love a selfie. Put those reverse camera phones on, get out your selfie sticks,
set your timers to get back in the picture and share online to your heart’s
galore – all with your favourite animals in the background. Just remember to
not be too enthusiastic and try to get too close - where we have fences it’s
for a reason!For more information on the terms and conditions
for each category, kindly visit www.alainzoo.ae

About Me

I have worked in the zoo world for over 48 years in the capacity of keeper, head keeper and curator. For information related to a zoos, zoo careers and more please see:
http://hubpages.com/_BL29/hub/The-Zoo-Hubs
See also my profile at:
http://www.google.com/profiles/elvinhow